1,522 sacked cops demand reinstatement

A total of 1,522 dismissed police members on Thursday demanded reinstatement, alleging they were dismissed under the previous Awami League government over issues including failed drug tests, Facebook comments and marriage before joining the force. They staged a sit-in outside the National Press Club and threatened to begin an indefinite hunger strike.

They said the procedures used to dismiss them contained several errors and irregularities, but no effective steps have been taken to correct them.

Sirajul Haque, a former sub-inspector of Siddhirganj Police Station in Narayanganj, said 1,522 police members from different districts and units were dismissed before August 5, 2024, for various reasons.

He said some were dismissed over Facebook comments, drug tests, marriage before joining the police and complaints from family members.

“We started a movement on August 8 under the interim government and demanded reinstatement,” he said.

Haque said former Home Adviser Sakhawat Hossain later asked the police headquarters to withdraw the dismissal orders and reinstate the dismissed members.